Are "Green Jobs" Healthy and Safe for Workers?

Introduction
‘Green jobs’ encompass those involved with protecting biodiversity and the natural environment, including reducing carbon emissions and the use of energy, materials and water, and minimising waste and pollution. The importance of ensuring green jobs are healthy and safe for workers is recognised internationally.

Methods
This presentation describes recent work by the Health and Safety Laboratory:

Research for the European Risk Observatory on
• foresight of new and emerging risks to occupational safety and health (OSH) associated with new technologies in green jobs by 2020.

Work in a British context on
• new and emerging risks associated with Emerging Energy Technologies,
• investigation of incidents involving workers in green jobs, and
• development of a risk assessment approach for exposure to biohazards in industrial composting.

Results
Potential health hazards include exposure to:
• heavy metals, nanoparticles, and biohazards during recycling;
• respiratory allergens, potentially carcinogenic aromatic compounds, and asphyxiants generated in biomass usage;
• novel building materials in energy efficient buildings;
• carbon dioxide (toxic and asphyxiant) during carbon sequestration processes.

Potential safety hazards include those arising from design of new machinery, through to changing working practices. They range from ‘kerbside’ waste collection, and design of worker access to wind turbines, to the hydrogen economy, and ‘smart’ grid installation.

Discussion
The accelerating pace of changes in technology and working practices means it is increasingly important to anticipate new and emerging risks. In many cases, familiar OSH hazards may be present in an unfamiliar setting; here a focus is needed on applying appropriate risk control measures developed in other contexts, and ensuring that health professionals are aware of the potential for exposure of workers in green jobs to chemical and biological hazards.